Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado boosted its position in Martin Marietta Materials Inc. (NYSE:MLM) by 56.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 101,208 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 36,475 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado owned about 0.16% of Martin Marietta Materials worth $19,432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MLM. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its position in Martin Marietta Materials by 5.9% in the second quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 686 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments LLC purchased a new position in Martin Marietta Materials during the second quarter worth approximately $225,000. ING Groep NV purchased a new position in Martin Marietta Materials during the first quarter worth approximately $233,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in Martin Marietta Materials by 15.4% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 1,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Dallas Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Martin Marietta Materials during the second quarter worth approximately $315,000. 97.18% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Martin Marietta Materials Inc. (NYSE:MLM) traded down 1.47% during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $168.74. 701,806 shares of the stock traded hands. Martin Marietta Materials Inc. has a 12-month low of $108.31 and a 12-month high of $206.36. The company’s 50-day moving average is $181.51 and its 200 day moving average is $183.60. The firm has a market cap of $10.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.06 and a beta of 1.36.
Martin Marietta Materials (NYSE:MLM) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 2nd. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $915.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $953.30 million. Martin Marietta Materials had a return on equity of 9.36% and a net margin of 9.96%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.22 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Martin Marietta Materials Inc. will post $7.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 1st were paid a $0.42 dividend. This is a positive change from Martin Marietta Materials’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 30th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. Martin Marietta Materials’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.05%.
A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MLM shares. Bank of America Corp. reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Martin Marietta Materials in a report on Friday, June 17th. Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Martin Marietta Materials from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $201.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 28th. Jefferies Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Martin Marietta Materials in a report on Monday, August 1st. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Martin Marietta Materials from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 3rd. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lowered shares of Martin Marietta Materials from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $210.00 to $202.00 in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Martin Marietta Materials presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.00.
In other news, EVP Roselyn R. Bar sold 5,830 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.98, for a total value of $1,165,883.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 42,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,516,748.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David G. Maffucci sold 6,779 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.90, for a total transaction of $1,355,122.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 20,326 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,063,167.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.06% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
About Martin Marietta Materials
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc is a supplier of aggregates products (crushed stone, sand and gravel) for the construction industry, used for the construction of infrastructure, non-residential, and residential projects. The Company operates through three businesses: Aggregates Business, Cement Business and Magnesia Specialties Business.